Ya Sin, Ya-Seen — Verse 21
36:21 · Ya Sin
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ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ مَن لَّا یَسۡءَلُكُمۡ أَجۡرࣰا وَهُم مُّهۡتَدُونَ ٢١
ittabiʿū man lā yasalukum ajran wahum muh'tadūn
Ya Sin, Ya-Seen / Ya Sin (36:21)
Connections 2 single-source 2 commentators
Multi-source connections
No verses on this ayah are cited by 2 or more commentators using numeric S:A notation. All extracted references come from a single source's commentary.
Single-source mentions (2) cited by only one commentator
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Q 6:17 (al-An`am)
cited by
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Q 62:9 (al-Jumu`ah)
cited by
By commentator who cites how many verses on this ayah
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Ma'arif-ul-Quran 1 verse
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Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) 1 verse
Note: these connections are extracted from numeric S:A references inside the commentary text and are therefore biased toward mufassirun who use that notation. Prose-style references (e.g. "Surat al-Baqarah verse 30") will be added later, which should surface additional multi-source consensus.
Follow them: they are not asking you to reward them and they are rightly guided
ittabiʿū man lā yasalukum ajran wahum muh'tadūn
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Tafsir Commentary
قَالَ يقَوْمِ اتَّبِعُواْ الْمُرْسَلِينَ
(He said: "O my people! Obey the Messengers.") -- he urged his people to follow the Messengers who had come to them.
اتَّبِعُواْ مَن لاَّ يَسْـَلُكُمْ أَجْراً
(Obey those who ask no wages of you,) means, `for the Message which they convey to you, and they are rightly-guided in what they are calling you to, the worship of Allah Alone with no partner or associate.'
وَمَا لِىَ لاَ أَعْبُدُ الَّذِى فَطَرَنِى
(And why should I not worship Him Who has created me) means, `and what is there to stop me from sincerely worshipping the One Who has created me, and worshipping Him Alone, with no partner or associate'
وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ
(and to Whom you shall be returned.) means, `on the Day of Resurrection, when He will requite you for your deeds: if they are good then you will be rewarded and if they are evil then you will be punished.'
أَءَتَّخِذُ مِن دُونِهِ ءَالِهَةً
(Shall I take besides Him gods) This is a rhetorical question intended to rebuke and chastise.
إِن يُرِدْنِ الرَّحْمَـنُ بِضُرٍّ لاَّ تُغْنِ عَنِّى شَفَـعَتُهُمْ شَيْئاً وَلاَ يُنقِذُونَ
(If the Most Gracious intends me any harm, their intercession will be of no use for me whatsoever, nor can they save me.) means, `these gods whom you worship instead of Him possess no power whatsoever, if Allah wills me some harm,'
فَلاَ كَـشِفَ لَهُ إِلاَّ هُوَ
(none can remove it but He) (6:17). `These idols can neither cause any harm nor bring any benefit, and they cannot save me from the predicament I am in.'
إِنِّى إِذاً لَّفِى ضَلَـلٍ مُّبِينٍ
(Then verily, I should be in plain error.) means, `if I were to take them as gods instead of Allah.'
إِنِّى ءَامَنتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ فَاسْمَعُونِ
(Verily, I have believed in your Lord, so listen to me!) Ibn Ishaq said, quoting from what had reached him from Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Ka`b and Wahb, "He said to his people:
إِنِّى ءَامَنتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ
(`Verily, I have believed in your Lord) in Whom you have disbelieved,
فَاسْمَعُونِ
(so listen to me!)' means, listen to what I say." Or it may be that he was addressing the Messengers when he said:
إِنِّى ءَامَنتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ
(Verily, I have believed in your Lord,) meaning, `Who has sent you,'
فَاسْمَعُونِ
(so listen to me!) meaning, `bear witness to that before Him.' This was narrated by Ibn Jarir, who said, "And others said that this was addressed to the Messengers, and he said to them: `Listen to what I say and bear witness to what I say before my Lord, that I have believed in your Lord and have followed you.' This interpretation is more apparent, and Allah knows best. Ibn Ishaq said, quoting from what had reached him from Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Ka`b and Wahb, `When he said that, they turned on him as one, and killed him at once, and he had no one to protect him from that."' Qatadah said, "They started to stone him while he was saying, `O Allah, guide my people for they do not know, and they kept stoning him until he died a violent death, and he was still praying for them.' May Allah have mercy on him."
Follow ittabi‘ū this reiterates the preceding ittabi‘ū them who do not ask you for any reward in return for delivering to you the message and who are rightly guided. And so he was asked ‘Do you follow their religion?’ So he replied
وجاء من مكان بعيد في المدينة رجل مسرع (وذلك حين علم أن أهل القرية هَمُّوا بقتل الرسل أو تعذيبهم)، قال: يا قوم اتبعوا المرسلين إليكم من الله، اتبعوا الذين لا يطلبون منكم أموالا على إبلاغ الرسالة، وهم مهتدون فيما يدعونكم إليه من عبادة الله وحده. وفي هذا بيان فضل مَن سعى إلى الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر.
"اتبعوا من لا يسألكم أجرا" أي على إبلاغ الرسالة "وهم مهتدون" فيما يدعونكم إليه من عبادة الله وحده لا شريك له.
ثم أكد هذه الدعوة بقوله : ( اتبعوا مَن لاَّ يَسْأَلُكُمْ أَجْراً وَهُمْ مُّهْتَدُونَ ) اتبعوا هؤلاء الرسل الذين جاءوا بأمر ربكم إليكم ، ليرشدوكم إلى الطريق الحق ، والحال أنهم فى أنفسهم ثابتون على الهدى ، راسخون فى التمسك بالعقيدة السليمة .
( اتَّبِعُوا مَنْ لا يَسْأَلُكُمْ أَجْرًا وَهُمْ مُهْتَدُونَ ) أي: لا يسألونكم أموالكم على ما جاءوكم به من الهدى، وهم لكم ناصحون، فاتبعوهم تهتدوا بهداهم . وقوله ( وَهُمْ مُهْتَدُونَ ) يقول: وهم على استقامة من طريق الحق، فاهتدوا أيها القوم بهداهم.
( اتبعوا من لا يسألكم أجرا وهم مهتدون ) قال قتادة : كان حبيب في غار يعبد ربه فلما بلغه خبر الرسل أتاهم فأظهر دينه ، فلما انتهى حبيب إلى الرسل قال لهم : تسألون على هذا أجرا ؟ قالوا : لا ، فأقبل على قومه فقال : " يا قوم اتبعوا المرسلين اتبعوا من لا يسألكم أجرا وهم مهتدون " ، فلما قال ذلك قالوا له : وأنت مخالف لديننا ومتابع دين هؤلاء الرسل ومؤمن بإلههم ؟ فقال :
اتَّبِعُوا مَنْ لَا يَسْأَلُكُمْ أَجْرًا وَهُمْ مُهْتَدُونَ (21) وجملة { اتبعوا من لا يسألكم أجراً } مؤكدة لجملة { اتبعوا المرسلين } مع زيادة الإِيماء إلى علة اتّباعهم بلوائح علامات الصدق والنصح على رسالتهم إذ هم يَدْعُون إلى هُدى ولا نفع ينجرّ لهم من ذلك فتمحّضت دعوتهم لقصد هداية المرسَل إليهم ، وهذه كلمة حكمة جامعة ، أي اتبعوا من لا تخسرون معهم شيئاً من دنياكم وتربحون صحة دينكم .وإنما قدم في الصلة عدم سؤال الأجر على الاهتداء لأن القوم كانوا في شك من صدق المرسلين وكان من دواعي تكذيبهم اتّهامهم بأنهم يجرّون لأنفسهم نفعاً من ذلك لأن القوم لما غلب عليهم التعلق بحب المال وصاروا بعداء عن إدراك المقاصد السامية كانوا يَعُدّون كل سعي يلوح على امرىء إنما يسعى به إلى نفعه . فقدم ما يزيل عنهم هذه الاسترابة وليَتهَيّؤوا إلى التأمل فيما يدعونهم إليه ، ولأن هذا من قبيل التخلية بالنسبة للمرسلين والمرسل إليهم ، والتخلية تُقدَّم على التحلية ، فكانت جملة { لا يسألكم أجراً } أهم في صلة الموصول .والأجر يصدق بكل نفع دنيوي يحصل لأحد من عمله فيشمل المال والجاه والرئاسة . فلما نفي عنهم أن يسألوا أجراً فقد نفي عنهم أن يكونوا يرمون من دعوتهم إلى نفع دنيوي يحصل لهم .وبعد ذلك تهيّأ الموقع لجملة { وهُم مهتدون } ، أي وهم متّصفون بالاهتداء إلى ما يأتي بالسعادة الأبدية ، وهم إنما يدعونكم إلى أن تسيروا سِيرتهم فإذا كانوا هم مهتدين فإن ما يدعونكم إليه من الاقتداء بهم دعوة إلى الهدى ، فتضمنت هذه الجملة بموقعها بعد التي قبلها ثناء على المرسلين وعلى ما يدعون إليه وترغيباً في متابعتهم .وأعلم أن هذه الآية قد مثل بها القزويني في «الإِيضاح» و «التلخيص» للإِطناب المسمى بالإِيغال وهو أن يُوتَى بعد تمام المعنى المقصود بكلام آخر يتمّ المعنى بدونه لنكتة ، وقد تبين لك مما فسّرنا به أن قوله : { وهم مهتدون } لم يكن مجرد زيادة بل كان لتوقف الموعظة عليها ، وكان قوله : { من لا يسألكم أجراً } كالتوطئة له . ونعتذر لصاحب «التلخيص» بأن المثال يكفي فيه الفرض والتقدير .وجاءت الجملة الأولى من الصلة فعلية منفية لأن المقصود نفي أن يحدث منهم سؤال أجر فضلاً عن دوامه وثباته ، وجاءت الجملة الثانية اسمية لإِفادة إثبات اهتدائهم ودوامه بحيث لا يخشى من يتبعهم أن يكون في وقت من الأوقات غير مهتد .
ثم ذكر تأييدا لما شهد به ودعا إليه، فقال: { اتَّبِعُوا مَنْ لَا يَسْأَلُكُمْ أَجْرًا } أي: اتبعوا من نصحكم نصحا يعود إليكم بالخير، وليس [يريد منكم أموالكم ولا أجرا على نصحه لكم وإرشاده إياكم، فهذا موجب لاتباع من هذا وصفه. بقي] أن يقال: فلعله يدعو ولا يأخذ أجرة، ولكنه ليس على الحق، فدفع هذا الاحتراز بقوله: { وَهُمْ مُهْتَدُونَ } لأنهم لا يدعون إلا لما يشهد العقل الصحيح بحسنه، ولا ينهون إلا بما يشهد العقل الصحيح بقبحه.
اتبعوا من لا يسألكم أجرا أي لو كانوا متهمين لطلبوا منكم المال وهم مهتدون فاهتدوا بهم .
The believer had risked his own life to support the call of the prophets before him. This action of his was of such great worth that he was sent to Paradise. After entering Paradise he did not speak ill of his people, although they were transgressors. On the contrary, he felt that, had they seen his reward, they would not have opposed the truth. This is the picture of a true believer. He is the well-wisher of others under all circumstances, even if he is oppressed by them.
In verse 20, it was said: وَجَاءَ مِنْ أَقْصَى الْمَدِينَةِ رَجُلٌ يَسْعَىٰ (And there came a man rushing from the farthest part of the city.) In the first verse (13), the place where this incident transpired was expressed as: اَلقَریَۃ (al-qaryah: town) which, according to the Arabic lexical usage, does not signify a small village, instead, it means a habitation in the absolute sense. It may be a small habitation or a big city. Now, in this verse, this place has been identified as: اَمَدِینۃ (al-madinah), a name used only for a big city. From here, we learn that the habitation where this event took place was some big city. Hence, this too supports the saying where it has been identified as Antakiyah. The expression: أَقْصَى الْمَدِينَةِ (aqsal-madinah: farthest part of the city) means outskirts of the city. The word: يَسْعَىٰ as a rushing) in the phrase: رَجُلٌ يَسْعَىٰ has been derived from: سَعٰی يَسْعَىٰ (run) which means to walk in a running gait. Therefore, the expression would mean that a man came running from the farthest part of the city. Then, there are occasions when this word is also used in the sense of walking with concern, poise and sense of purpose to be accomplished - which may not include running- as in Surah Al-Jumu` ah: فَاسْعَوْا إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ اللَّـهِ (fas` aw ila dhikril-lah: hasten for the remembrance of Allah (Khutbah and Salah of Jumu'ah) - 62:9). Here, this very sense is intended.
The event relating to the person coming from the farthest part of the city
The noble Qur'an has left this too as ambiguous. It does not mention his name, nor does it say who he was. As part of historical narrations, Ibn Ishaq has reported from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas, Ka` b al-Ahbar And Wahb Ibn Munabbih that the name of this person was Habib. There are different sayings about his profession. The most famous is the one that says that he was a carpenter. (Ibn Kathir).
Other historical narrations reported by commentators at this stage tell us that this person too was initially an idolater. He happened to meet the two messengers who came to this town the first time. It was either as a result of their teachings or, as it appears in some narrations, by seeing extraordinary working of wonders at their hands, his heart was lit with faith. He repented from past idolatry, embraced Islam and retired to a cave devoting to worship. When he got the news that the people of the city have rejected the teachings of these messengers, have become hostile to them and were threatening to kill them, he came to his people prompted by the mixed objectives of his concern for their good as well as the safety of the messengers. He advised them to follow these messengers and declared that he himself had become a believer: (I have believed in your Lord; so listen to me.- 25)
(Follow those who ask of you no fee) or reward for believing in Allah, (and who are rightly guided) and who guide to belief in Allah's divine Oneness. They said to him: you have absolved yourself from us and from the religion of our forefathers and embraced the religion of our enemy.